As we predicted last week, Mayor Dwight C. Jones today announced the city of Richmond's desire to host the 2015 UCI World Road Cycling Championships. Richmond, Virginia will represent the United States' bid for the nine-day event.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the United States, and the city of Richmond in particular," said Mayor Jones. "Our city is centrally located and easy to access, offers great lodging and tourist attractions, and is a strong supporter of athletic and cultural events. There is no better place for the 2015 World Road Cycling Championships than right here in Richmond, Virginia."

Richmond's bid is supported by USA Cycling, the governing body for all disciplines of competitive cycling in the U.S.

"Richmond's efforts to bring cycling's marquee event back to American soil will not only be an opportunity to showcase one of the country's most historic arenas to the world, but will also give hundreds of thousands of cycling fans in the Mid-Atlantic region the opportunity to witness the world's best compete in one of the world's most popular sports," said Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, who was present at today's announcement.

Richmond will go up against the Canadian bid from Quebec City, led by Serge Arsenault's team, which puts on the ProTour events in Quebec City and Montreal. The winning city will be announced at the 2011 UCI Road World Championships and Annual World Congress in Copenhagen in September 2011.